Kitten rescued by firefighters and tree service after hawk apparently drops it in tree

STARK COUNTY, Ohio - A small fire department in Ohio rescued a kitten that was stuck on top of a tree after it was apparently grabbed by a hawk.

Ellen Albert said she was concerned when she discovered that her kitten Fluffy was at the top of a pine tree near her home in Navarre, Ohio on Friday.

"She wasn't going to make it," Albert told WJW . "She was going to die up there and she was all alone, the trees are swaying."

People assured her cats always come down when they get hungry, but by Sunday afternoon, Fluffy was still up in the tree.

"I've been in it 40 years and I've never had to rescue a cat. I've never had one not come down," Erie Valley Fire Chief Rick Annen said.

When he arrived, he quickly theorized how the kitten ended up so far up in the tree. He saw hawks sitting on top of a barn across the street.

"It had a flea collar and a regular collar on. They're both missing so we figured when it got to the top of the tree, the collars came off. That's why the cat dropped into the tree and then the hawk couldn't get back into it," Annen said.

When firefighters realized they couldn't reach the top of the tree, they called a tree service to help. A crew from T. Rowley Lawns used a crane and bucket to reach the little one and get her to safety.

"I'm just truly amazed that she made it that long and these guys are here to help," Albert said.